Film fest to showcase drama, documentaries

KILLINGTON-Independent filmmakers from seven states and Canada took home top honors at the second Killington Film Festival, which drew large and enthusiastic crowds during screenings that started last and ran throughout the recent weekend.

"My Stepdad's a Freakin' Vampire," directed and produced by David Matheny of Gardner, Ks., was judged No 1 in the Feature Film category and "Shooting Beauty," directed by former Woodstock resident George Kachadorian was awarded top prize in the New England Filmmakers competition.

In all, filmmakers from 21 states and five countries submitted more than 100 films for judging in the four-day festival.

"It was a tremendous success. It is a festival destined to continue its growth in years to come," said Kerstin Karlhuber, a New York filmmaker originally from Killington who founded and directed the festival.

"The filmmakers were pleased and the audiences truly enjoyed seeing some outstanding films. We're already looking forward to next year, when we're certain to draw even more entries."

One of the most popular features of the festival was the question and answer sessions audiences had with filmmakers, directors and producers following the screenings.

The categories and top entries included:

Documentary Shorts

1st "Iowa Girls," directed and produced by Donna Reyes, Union, N.J.

2nd "Nico's Challenge," directed by Steve Audette, Concord, Mass.

Narrative Shorts

1st "Bodega," directed by Brian Willow, produced by Nathan Brown, New York, N.Y.